Get your Metabolic Rate tested !! My Metabolic reset story

SanteMulberry

Bump for reading later.

katelynal

Where did you get tested?

Google bariatrics, or wellness center or dietician and your town.

I googled RMR testing my town and the wellness center of our largest hospital offers this testing for $50. Scheduling an appt as soon as they return my call!

yogibella

bumpity bump for later:)

Kim55555

I'm getting tested again next week

Kim55555

I'll update with what's been happening with meover the last few months later. I gotta go to work right now

Azdak

Also another tip. According to katch mcardle my estimated rmr is just 1200 calories now if I went by that figure i would be 300 calories out.

The Katch McCardle formula computes your BMR, not your RMR. BMR is lower than RMR.

Not necessarily. My RMR is 1240, my BMR per Katch McCardle is 1371.

It means the bodyfat figure used in the Katch BMR calc was wrong if you are not suppressing metabolism.

Or, and this is usually it, the formula's are for your potential - you can suppress that easily.

So yes you can suppress your RMR below your calculated Cunningham RMR and below your calculated Katch BMR.

Or you do endurance cardio training which can also lower BMR/RMR.

Certainly 40 years of endurance training has lowered my BMR/RMR.

Oh, wait....no it hasn't.

Not by even a calorie (yes, that is verified via metabolic testing).

yuliyax

bump

orchidee1987

Bump for later

Kim55555

Hi

From October through to January I decreased my calories by a couple of hundred and at the same time upped my exercise. I am 5 foot 2. I have been at scale goal weight since last August. Since then I have been recomposing, ie losing fat and centimeters. I retain muscle mass easily as I have the genetics for it.

I thought I was adequatly fueling my body eating between 1700 - 1950 calories for those 3 and a half months but I was in for a huge shock when I got my resting metabolic rate tested. It was just 875. My body was in semi-starvation (survivol mode) according the the exercise physiologist. That is why my metaboic rate lowered drastically because i was not fueling myself properly so it slows way down in order to survive.

Anyway thanks to the Eat more to Weight less group I was reading up about doing a metabolic reset. The exercise physiologist suggested eating 10 - 20% more than I was and gave me some great advice concerning exercise and nutrition. I decided to do my own little experiment. Since the 2nd of February I decided to eat more than my TDEE. I wanted to see just how much I could eat without gaining weight. So I started off eating mid 2500's and then most of the time for the past 5 weeks I have been eating mid to high 2000 calories !! In that time I have put on roughly half to 1 kg in weight I think. From August till end of January my weight was in the range of 57.5 - 59.5 kg and now its in the 58 - 59.7 range for the last couple of weeks.

Yesterday I had a retest of my resting metabolic rate. (RMR) it was 1497. Originally when i had it tested it was just 875 and the man said it should be around the 1350 mark. So I am absolutely thrilled that I have increased my RMR by over 600 calories !!! Wow I couldn't believe it. My body fat % is 22.5%. I'm working towards high teens perhaps 18 - 20% body fat. Also I'm above average in the general population for my age and height I'm more like in the athletic range for body composition now.

I am now in the process of trying to find my true TDEE. I have reduced my calories by a few hundred and depending on activity levels I am going to be eating between 2200 - 2700. I will experiment at this level for the next 6 weeks to see if I can stabilise at this range. I think I have pretty much stabilized right now but I will give it a good 6 weeks weeks eating at this amount.

I told the exercise physiologist I still want to cut. I want to lose more off my tummy area. I want a more defined tummy. He believes I can lose the fat eating 2200-2300 calories. I got some great tips in the Eat more to Weight less group and have decided that in 6 weeks time or once i am sure my weight has stablised when im figuring out my TDEE I will cut first down to 2,300 weekly average and see how I go losing at that for a month. Then if its too high an amount still I'll reduce down 100 calories till I hit my sweet spot. So out of all this it appears I do need to eat above the 2000 calorie mark to lose the fat and not f*** up my metabolic rate. It all depends on my exercise levels. If Im heaviily exercising I have to adequately fuel myself so that I'm not cutting any higher than 10 - 15% off my TDEE.

I highly recommend getting your RMR tested. If its plummeted you can fix it doing a metabolic reset eating at TDEE, you will put on a little bit of weight however once you stablize and are ready to diet again you will then be able to eat more when you go to lose the weight. It is also much more life sustainable.

Also another tip. According to katch mcardle my estimated rmr is just 1200 calories now if I went by that figure i would be 300 calories out. Also the TDEE is just an estimate too. According to TDEE it says I should maintain on 2100. Nope I can maintain on a lot higher than that. Its all just a starting point you really need to do your own experiment, track what you eat over a time period and see what amount works for you. ie what you can maintain on, what is your cutting sweet spot.

If you are new and just started your diet. If I were you for the next 6 weeks track all the foods you eat on your phone, and do your own little experiment to see what amount your true maintenance is before you even start cutting calories. So then 6 weeks later cut 10 or 20% off that amount to lose the weight at a healthy sustainable amount.

If you want help in how to do a metablic reset/eating more then join the Eat more to weight less. There is some awesome information there. Huge plug for this group! They have turned peoples lives around there!! Also check out the roadmap thread for some help too.

Any questions fire away!


Also I hope this post doesnt get lost so please keep bumping it up or sticky this lol

Its now 8 months later being September 24 and I just got the results of my latest test. My resting metabolic rate was tested at 1025. I was quite surprised and dissapointed at this as I have been eating at or above maintenance since February. I put on 6 kg in weight since February.

My appetite got a bit out of control as I started eating a few hundred calories above maintenance from the start of my metabolic reset. Next time when I'm ready for maintenance i'll gradually increase my calories and not eat heaps more to begin with... Lesson learned. For the past couple of months I think my weight has stabilised between 63 – 65 kg.

Over the past few months I have tried and failed to stick to a defecit but this time around i have lasted nearly 2 weeks. After being in calorie defecit for 2 and ¾ years I think I had enough of dieting and was enjoying a break from it. But now I'm ready to have another crack. I want to lose about 6 kg and get back to 58 kg. This is all a learning experience for me. Next time I'm ready to maintain my weight i'll know what to do.

The exercise physiologist recommend I eat at 1500 calories. I said I think I can do well at 1600 plus I feel I will need more than 1500. Also it really does depend on my activity levels too so if I have a day where I burn heaps then i'll obviously allow myself more than 1600 as I dont want to run my metabolism into the ground like last time.

Apparantly I'm slightly carb (insulin) resistant so she has me on a lowish carb diet 20% carbs. Eating low gi foods so I dont spike my insulin. For breaky and dinner its protein and fats and for lunch I can include some carbs along with protein and fat. This will be tough for me as i'm used to eating carbs but i'm committed to giving it a go for the next 8 weeks and then i'll revisit at the end of November.

joshdann

RMR in athletes is well known to be lower, primarily because of the lower resting heart rate that comes from endurance training. Your case is interesting, and based on other studies that have been done on large groups of people, I think you may have had some inaccurate tests... maybe not, but that seems most likely. That, or you may have had low blood pressure that day, it may have been cold... things like that. Lowered heart rate, through any mechanism, generally results in a low RMR. BMR tests take longer and are more accurate because they measure your condition in multiple states.

If you were told by this "expert" that you were in some sort of "survival mode" I think he may not be a real expert. The scientists who study this concept have shown a maximum of a 20% reduction in BMR in subjects on long-term VLCDs. Even in that worst-case scenario, your RMR should not have been below 1000. The myth of survival/starvation mode has its roots in something called adaptive thermogenesis. While you certainly should have been affected by AT, eating at a deficit for that long, I can't find any studies that have shown a reduction in BMR as great as the one you've seen.

If your results are real, you might consider submitting to more involved tests. You'd be the only case I know of that has seen these results and I'm sure many of the people who make their living studying these things would love to study you

DopeItUp

I had mine tested a few weeks ago. My TDEE was tested at 3700 calories or so....I wish!

Those tests are about as reliable and consistent as BIA devices. Which is to say, they aren't.

vivian1616

bump

heybales

I had mine tested a few weeks ago. My TDEE was tested at 3700 calories or so....I wish!

Those tests are about as reliable and consistent as BIA devices. Which is to say, they aren't.

To test your TDEE would require you to spend an average day of activity in a metabolic chamber, while they monitored the change in temperature your body caused to controlled air temp, to know that.

You mean you had your RMR tested, and based on your comments regarding your daily activity, did nothing more than the TDEE levels based on that RMR.

Those test actually are very reliable, but just like BIA measurements, very easy for the person getting tested to throw them off totally.

How you know if that tested RMR is realistic or not is to get a good bodyfat test at the same time.

Then from the standard RMR Cunningham formula that are within 5% for over 95% of the population, you can see if your RMR is actually expected for your measured LBM.

From there to TDEE is still your selection of TDEE levels.

heybales

I thought I was adequatly fueling my body eating between 1700 - 1950 calories for those 3 and a half months but I was in for a huge shock when I got my resting metabolic rate tested. It was just 875. My body was in semi-starvation (survivol mode) according the the exercise physiologist. That is why my metaboic rate lowered drastically because i was not fueling myself properly so it slows way down in order to survive.

Yesterday I had a retest of my resting metabolic rate. (RMR) it was 1497. Originally when i had it tested it was just 875 and the man said it should be around the 1350 mark. So I am absolutely thrilled that I have increased my RMR by over 600 calories !!! Wow I couldn't believe it. My body fat % is 22.5%. I'm working towards high teens perhaps 18 - 20% body fat. Also I'm above average in the general population for my age and height I'm more like in the athletic range for body composition now.

Its now 8 months later being September 24 and I just got the results of my latest test. My resting metabolic rate was tested at 1025. I was quite surprised and dissapointed at this as I have been eating at or above maintenance since February. I put on 6 kg in weight since February.

So in those tests, you can effect them to read higher, but you can't effect them to read lower, than reality.

So I'd suggest the 1497 was inflated for whatever reason. Shoot, if you eat carbs and your body is busy processing them, your RMR really does go up post meal, but in addition to that expected raise, is a raise in your VO2 to VCO2 ratio from that processing, which would also inflate the value above reality.

Now I know you said you followed their rules of no eating or exercise 24 hrs in advance. But if you had done a good lifting session outside that time period, you could have still been repairing, which would be increased O2 use, that would inflate the calorie burn.
Breathing faster than normal, approaching or hitting hyperventilating would do it also.

And their routine for calibrating the metabolic cart. It can drift. If this is an outfit that will show up at gyms and test any comers, or at the mall, ect, then if their thinking allows them to provide bogus RMR tests (because it would be in those cases), then they probably have little reason to calibrate the machine.
On the other hand, if they carefully made sure you understood the rules as to what you were supposed to do for an accurate test, they probably do.

But there's no way for you to effect it reading lower than reality. So I'd trust the 2 low points.
And if that RMR is still lower by 5% for a tested bodyfat % (measurement and BIA done right are within 5% accuracy), then you still are suppressed likely, or other health issues slightly effecting you.

How was the BF% determined on the high reading time period?

Kim55555

How was the BF% determined on the high reading time period?

thanks for the reply!

I forgot to post my body fat %. Back in Feb it was 22%, now its 27% with the 6 kg weight gain. My muscle mass has stayed the same.

Also perhaps my monthly cycle had an effect on my rmr ? i dunno. i was at day 3 of my period when i had it tested yesterday. My next appointment is in 2 months time and hopefully the test will fall in the middle of my period. Last time I had my rmr tested i was in a different part of my cycle. I'm not sure the kind of impact it would have but it could possibly

Kim55555

So in those tests, you can effect them to read higher, but you can't effect them to read lower, than reality.

So I'd suggest the 1497 was inflated for whatever reason. Shoot, if you eat carbs and your body is busy processing them, your RMR really does go up post meal, but in addition to that expected raise, is a raise in your VO2 to VCO2 ratio from that processing, which would also inflate the value above reality.

oh i have more i want to say but my nieces just walked in the door, gotta go

yarwell

But there's no way for you to effect it reading lower than reality. So I'd trust the 2 low points.

A leaky mask will give a reduced flow rate, so under reading is entirely possible.

icemaiden17_uk

BUMP

heybales

How was the BF% determined on the high reading time period?

thanks for the reply!

I forgot to post my body fat %. Back in Feb it was 22%, now its 27% with the 6 kg weight gain. My muscle mass has stayed the same.

Also perhaps my monthly cycle had an effect on my rmr ? i dunno. i was at day 3 of my period when i had it tested yesterday. My next appointment is in 2 months time and hopefully the test will fall in the middle of my period. Last time I had my rmr tested i was in a different part of my cycle. I'm not sure the kind of impact it would have but it could possibly

Yes, your BMR literally will change through the month, and knowing where on the hill, the hill, or the valley, can make a difference.

heybales

But there's no way for you to effect it reading lower than reality. So I'd trust the 2 low points.

A leaky mask will give a reduced flow rate, so under reading is entirely possible.

Very true, as well as the warning to breath normal. Though for 15 minutes it should be hard to breath a whole lot slower, some of those mall tests for 5 minutes you could breath slower and effect it downwards.

But in those cases, invalid time to do it too.

Kim55555

Im copying and pasting what I wrote in the eat more to weigh less group as not everyone belongs to that group

November 2014 update


Its now November and I have had 5 or 6 failed attempts to cut again since May.

This time around I decided to write myself a binding contract and I stuck it on my fridge and signed it

In it I declare how much i will lose each month.

I have outlined how I will go about achieving this. I have a list of all the foods I will eat and the calories i will average per week. I will be weighing everything. I'll also pre pare food.

I have also decided to say it out loud twice a day in the morning and at night as a reminder, as an affirmatinon so I program it into my head. I will also become a regular myfitnesspal contributer and lurker again so weight loss/fat loss is constantly on my mind. I need to "eat breathe and sleep" weight loss. I need it to be on mind 24/7 so i stay on track.

When i go back to work tomorrow i will pin it on my wall too.

I've lost 2 kg so far in a couple of weeks. I'm around 64.6 kg today. Goal is to get back to 57 kg. I will be 60 kg by February 1st 2014 and 57 kg by July 1st 2014. The last 3 kg take forever for me to lose.

Ok i'm confident now everythng is in place for me to achieve the result. I have decided to never bulk again. Its just to damm hard for me to cut afterwards. I'm ok with that as i was really happy with my physique at 57 kg. I looked ripped, i could some nice arm definition. I have plenty of muscle for it to shine through and dont need to add muscle.

Kim55555

This worked for me back in 2010 when i first started to lose the 33 kg.

i'll come back later tonight and type up the contract here on this topic, to show you what i wrote

I am also going to re read Michael Domenko (spelling) and Tom Venuto's Burn the fat feed the muscle again for inspiration and guidance.

heybales

I have also decided to say it out loud twice a day in the morning and at night as a reminder, as an affirmatinon so I program it into my head. I will also become a regular myfitnesspal contributer and lurker again so weight loss/fat loss is constantly on my mind. I need to "eat breathe and sleep" weight loss. I need it to be on mind 24/7 so i stay on track.

When i go back to work tomorrow i will pin it on my wall too.

I've lost 2 kg so far in a couple of weeks. I'm around 64.6 kg today. Goal is to get back to 57 kg. I will be 60 kg by February 1st 2014 and 57 kg by July 1st 2014. The last 3 kg take forever for me to lose.

Ok i'm confident now everythng is in place for me to achieve the result. I have decided to never bulk again. Its just to damm hard for me to cut afterwards. I'm ok with that as i was really happy with my physique at 57 kg. I looked ripped, i could some nice arm definition. I have plenty of muscle for it to shine through and dont need to add muscle.

Sometimes you gotta make weight loss a hobby, with time attention. Sad the other direction requires neither.

Bummer when you get that used to performance gains, isn't it. Every winter is re-bulk from the summer cardio, every spring is the training for the endurance cardio coming up. Got accept what is important and do it. Right there with ya.

Kim55555

Sometimes you gotta make weight loss a hobby, with time attention. Sad the other direction requires neither.

Bummer when you get that used to performance gains, isn't it. Every winter is re-bulk from the summer cardio, every spring is the training for the endurance cardio coming up. Got accept what is important and do it. Right there with ya.

Hi Yeah I find that unless I'm thinking about it 24/7 then I lose focus after a couple of weeks & them complain its all too hard. So I think as long as I'm reading my goals out loud each day I'll be successful.

I'll stick a copy of my contract on my desk wall. I'll stick it on the inside of my phone as a constant reminder. I'll pretty much stick it in a number of different places that I know I'll be looking at regularly. My brain needs constant reinforcement.

Ill continue to again become all consumed/obsessed with reading online.

When I do get to 57kg I know now what not to do. I'll increase calories gradually to maintenance. Anyway thats 6-12 months away & I'll focus on what is at hand. I've done it once I'll do it again

I'll report back Dec13 and let everyone know how I'm going.

Kim55555

December 26 2013 update:

Since November 1st I have lost nearly 4 kg. Down from 66.2 kg to 62.4 kg


1. I have been eating between 1550 - 1800 calories.

This amount seems to be my weight loss sweet spot.


2. The first few weeks I was rehabbing my hammy, so had limited/moderate amounts of exercise. The last month I have slowly and conservatively increased my intensity and workload and hammy has responded well. Still losing slowly but steadily

Lesson learnt from this is you dont have to always kill yourself by doing large amounts and intense amounts of exercise to lose the weight. Often I would burn out. I realise now its a marathon not a sprint and the exercise I do now is focussed on training for performance, not training for just calorie burn! I also have let myself have a couple of rest days per week to let my hammy recover.

3. I am surprised I didnt lose much fitness in my 2 weeks of only swimming and doing weights. I have a reasonable amount of fitness and I'll have to take things slowly when pre season footy training starts up again just doing 1 session a week and having rest breaks during it. I'm in my 40's and need to manage my body.


In my 9 months of unintentional bulking I put on 9 kg. I was upset about putting on the weight but I am looking at the positives:

1. I have had tremendous performance gains

2. I now know what amount I shouldn't be eating to maintain lol.

3. After I finish my cut I'll make sure that this time around I will slowly increase calories until I find my maintenance stabalization & sweet spot. I'm thinking its around 2000 - 2200 calories a day but I dont know. I may do a slow recomp for a while and see how I go.

4. I will include 2 days of eating at 1700 calories to even things out if I happen to eat too much on the other days.

4. I am strong in mind and spirit and am getting the fat off again. I believe in myself.

5. I wont ever bulk again. I'm not after more muscle growth. I liked the way I looked before when I hit 57 kg back in January 2013.

6. I think I have put on some muscle during my bulk so I think I might in fact look leaner at 59 kg than I did at 57 kg. If not leaner then look the same that I did at 57 but have that look of more definition because of the muscle I put on.

7. I am so glad I created this topic as it has been good to keep a journal and visitors to this page and myself will see an experiment unfolding. Bulking/cutting transformation. I will be sure to post comparitive photos when I finish cutting. I'm not sure when that will be. Perhaps it will take me another 6 months I dont know. In 6 months time I think i'll do a slow maintenance recomp. I'm very excited !

Rachelmilloy

Bump :0)

fangmouse

Oh my goodness I'm 5'2 as well! This will come in handy hehe

Kim55555

This has turned into my bulking/cutting thread lol. It's too bad I can't change the title.

When I finish my cut I'll create a new bulking/cutting topic with before and after photos.

I'll come back here at the beginning of each month with an update on my progress

amandacepstein

following

Kim55555

Progress update coming very soon .